UHV assistant professor receives Excellence in Nursing award

Sept. 15, 2012 at 4:15 a.m.Updated Sept. 16, 2012 at 4:16 a.m.

Ever since she was a little girl, Shainy Varghese knew she wanted to take care of children.

Last week, Varghese, an assistant professor at the University of Houston-Victoria was honored by the Good Samaritan Foundation with an Excellence in Nursing Bronze Medal for her work as a pediatric nursing educator. She received the award in the nursing faculty category.

Award winners are nominated by their peers in six categories. Varghese and other award recipients received their medals at the Eighth Annual Excellence in Nursing Luncheon earlier this month in Houston.

Varghese teaches most of the pediatric portion of the UHV nursing curriculum for the Second Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

As a pediatric nurse practitioner, she uses her real-world experience to teach students about the importance of pediatric health care.

"Taking care of children is important because they are the future," Varghese said. "As nurses, we have to not only provide quality care for children, but also nurture them by giving them information and teaching them about their health."

Varghese has been a nurse for nearly 20 years and has taught at UHV since 2007. Her research about how caring is expressed through the latest health care technology was published in 2010 in the Journal of Telemedicine and Electronic Health.

"Dr. Varghese is a professional educator who provides true leadership in the School of Nursing," said Kathryn Tart, founding dean of the UHV School of Nursing. "She is not the type of person who seeks out recognition, but she works steadily and impacts the lives of her pediatric patients and students."

Varghese was surprised to learn she won the award.

"I had no idea I'd been nominated and never imagined I'd receive this award," she said. "It is a big honor that the Good Samaritan Foundation members appreciate my work."